


Zero Access (We Don't Get The Fairytale)

by SufferHope_GracelessHeart



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-17 02:43:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1371040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SufferHope_GracelessHeart/pseuds/SufferHope_GracelessHeart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After finding out the secrets everyone she knows and loves has been keeping from her, Laurel Lance leaves Starling City to get her life back together. Four years of no contact, brings her back to the city with hope and expectations. But what will she really find when she gets there? The world has a tendency to move on without you, especially when you don't let it know you're gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zero Access (We Don't Get The Fairytale)

**Author's Note:**

> This was based off of a prompt from Iloveyouintimate on Tumblr which I mistakenly read wrong, the gist was Laurel leaves for four years and comes back expecting to return to her relationship with Oliver and gets a shocking surprise. 
> 
> P.S.: Laurel's not evil, just misguided.

Felicity handed Digg a cup of coffee and a kiss on the cheek as she headed in to the office for the day bypassing Oliver’s side of the penthouse office to her own.

“How is it after five years, you’ll get Digg coffee but not me?” Oliver whined. “It’s not like you’re even my E.A. anymore. Can’t you spare getting the CEO some caffeine,” he griped, kissing Felicity on the cheek. “Jesus, Felicity, we share the damn office.

Felicity set down her tablet and her work laptop, along with her more covert heavy duty hardware in a biometric lock drawer and looked over at Oliver.  “First, Digg never expected me to get him coffee out of obligation. Second, we had an arrangement and I don’t care how much I love you, coffee is not a part of that deal. Third, I actually do more work than you. Where’s my coffee?”

Digg scoffed at both of them. “As both Chief Security Officer of Queen Consolidated and Close Protection Specialist for most of the Queen Family, I do more work than both of you. And I drive you around. “

‘And you’re out favorite black driver ever, not to mention I handle the digital security, boss man,” Felicity said, “Besides,  you’ve got it easy, especially since the family Queen can mostly take care of themselves.”

“You say that now. Remind me of that again after Sara, Roy, and I run mock drills on the entire security staff today.” Digg replied guzzling his coffee.

“And that’s why we’ll be spending our entire day on the zero access floor,” quipped Oliver.

~

There had been a lot of changes to Team Arrow after Slade Wilson wreaked havoc on Starling City. He had infiltrated every part of their lives, backing Isabel Rochev in stock options, supporting Moira’s failed mayoral campaign, recruiting Malcolm Merlyn to his cause using Tommy of all things. Merlyn was the hardest blow of all, almost breaking Thea. Luckily, like the _Queen_ that she was, she took her pain and her trauma and made it stronger.

As obsessed as Slade was with Oliver, when he realized that Sara was alive she became his secondary target, he began stalking her mother, her father, Laurel. In the end, he tried to make them both choose, a more impossible choice than Ivo could have imagine. For Oliver, it was his Team or his City and for Sara, it was Laurel or Sin. But as much as Slade Wilson had shaped Oliver Queen and the Hood he had become, Felicity Smoak and John Diggle had changed that man into the Arrow.  Thea had brought back his ability to smile. Sara, returned a friend thought lost and Roy was a reminder of just how far that pampered boy on the island had grown. Even Sin taught him on the worse days there was the possibility for laughter and alcohol, something he had forgotten with Tommy.

Laurel who finally realized just how much everyone had been hiding from her, the Arrow, The Canary, the League, the Doll maker, even Slade Wilson. How much they had been protecting her. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy.

_“Laurel, you saw the scars, on both of us.” Oliver said, his hood down bandaging Sara’s side while Felicity took care of Detective Lance’s knife wounds “I told you about the torture, the pain, the people who hurt me. You didn’t know the details, but you knew enough. “Oliver ran his hands through his hair and looked down at an unconscious Sara. “I understand that Sara came back at a really hard time for you but your mother was kidnapped, because of those six years she spent away,” He gritted out, covering Sara with a blanket. You said it yourself, you were poisoned when she came home, and people came after your family. You were so angry at her for not coming back when she could that you never stopped to ask why. “He took a deep breath, “You never asked me why either.”_   Why torture, what did they want? What happened? Are you okay? How can I help you? Can you forgive me for hating you _?_  Part of you just didn’t want to know **.** _Oliver finished silently to himself_

_Oliver looked over to where Felicity was huddled over Digg patching up the last shallow wound that Deathstroke had gotten in before Roy, Sara and Oliver managed to kill him.  He hadn’t been Slade Wilson for a long time and now Oliver Queen had another person he had to mourn. He watched Felicity flutter over Digg and John’s smile at her flustered, but efficient manner, a dance that had become infinitely familiar to him over the years. “When you first saw the scars, I told you I survived because I had something to live for. Something more important, but…I think I hurt both of us that way. I needed you in a way you couldn’t be there for me, Laurel, a perfect memory.  And you needed me to grow into someone I wasn’t. But now, you know the truth. And so do I. I’m not a killer. I’m not a murderer. I’m not a vigilante and I may not be a hero, but I am a good man. And I hope that someday, you can get to know who that man is and I get meet more than a memory.”_

_Laurel looked around the empty warehouse the people she thought she knew had used to regroup. She could tell by the way Felicity was unpacking supplies that this wasn’t their normal base of operations. She still wasn’t even trusted with that information, although after this year, who could really blame them. Any other person playing vigilante would have written off trying to dissuade her from her crusade months ago, but the Arrow had kept helping her despite her own agenda, because he knew exactly why she was doing it. And Tommy, Oliver never would have walked away from him if there was any chance to get him out._

_Laurel was in a untenable situation – the people who loved her lied to her for months, but she hadn’t really given them a choice. Sara, her father, Ollie, no, Oliver all had lives that meant something and she had thought herself so far above all of their soulless jobs and menial work. She was ashamed of herself and she knew she couldn’t, wouldn’t be able to forgive herself here. What was so rigid and brutal about her that they couldn’t trust her, didn’t believe in her? Was she really that attached to her clear ideas of right and wrong until they didn’t suit her?_

_“Actually, I think, I’m proud of you. I don’t know the whole story. And I don’t think I ever will, but I should have tried harder. Ollie. To do what, I don’t know, but I should have tried. “She petted Sara’s hair and went to kiss her father. “Daddy, it’s time for step four and five. And I don’t think I can do that here. Not yet.” She wiped a few tears off her face as he hugged her._

_“You do what you gotta do, sweetheart. You give your mom my love.” Lance said hoarsely, wiping tears out of his eyes as Laurel walked out of the door._

_Felicity looked away trying not to eavesdrop, but also unable to stop her mouth from moving. “What are steps four and five, if you don’t mind me asking? If you do, please don’t lie and say it’s okay, because I’ll believe you and things will get awkward between us…like they aren’t already.” She finished._

_“Taking stock of yourselves, the good, the bad, the ugly, everything you face, everything you’ve become, everything that brought you there and then you admit to yourself and others exactly how wrong you were. No excuses. No blame.” He said quietly._

_“I don’t understand then, Detective. Why is she leaving, when her family’s here? Oliver’s here.” Felicity said quietly._

_Lance put a gently arm around Felicity. “I love my daughter, both of my daughters very much, Ms. Smoak, and both of them have made mistakes. Sara needed home to fix what was broken in her, Felicity. Home is what’s broken in Laurel.” He said sadly._

~

It took almost another year completely wresting control of Queen Consolidated from Isabel Rochev, especially with the tacit help she’d received from Wilson, but as soon as Oliver Queen was sole owner, he made Felicity Smoak, Chief Technical Officer.

“ _Oliver, what does a Chief Technical Officer do?” Felicity asked in exasperation._

_Oliver opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, “Wait, are you asking me because you don’t actually know or because you don’t actually think I know?_

_Digg’s eyebrows rose at this statement._

_Felicity folded her arms and stared at him a bit “Little bit of both?”_

_Oliver put his hands on her shoulders. “I messed up years ago when I made you my E.A., Q.C. wouldn’t have survived Stellmoor much less the last three years without you. The truth is, you already do the job, it’s just I’m the only one who knows it and that’s going to change,” he said earnestly. “And let’s be honest, if you hadn’t been over the moon at your promotion the first words out of your mouth would have been in your loud voice.” He said smugly, patting her on the shoulder and leaving with a movement that was as close to a scurry as Oliver Queen would ever get._

_“Hey,” Digg bellowed. “Why am I still the black driver?”_

_“Hey.” Oliver bellowed back. “Did you actually check your inbox?”_

~

Queen Consolidated became one of the most oddly run corporations on the face of the planet. The C.E.O., C.T.O, and C.S.O revamped the entire top floor of Queen Consolidated, isolating their offices, and their internal server rooms from public access, the floor below was basically had a second set of offices mainly for show and communicating with investors and outside companies.  While Oliver Queen was the name on the building and the business, Felicity Smoak was the driving force behind the technology and research and no one was exactly sure what John Diggle did, but he was good at it.

What’s more is that there was almost never one without the other in some form or fashion. At first, some very unpleasant rumors began to spread, subsequently some very nasty viruses began to spread, and many elevators stopped mid floor when Mr. Diggle happened to be riding and the rumors were slowly but surely put to rest.

Overhauling Q.C had become was exhausting, that unforeseen complications with their night job didn’t help at all. Shocking all of Team Arrow, Felicity and Oliver had a knockdown drag out fight that was so brutal both Sara and Diggle excused themselves from the Foundry, thankful Roy hadn’t been there.

~

_“I get it, Oliver! You don’t want your precious baby sister out there fighting God knows what! But here’s a wakeup call, Oliver! She’s headed for it anyway.” Felicity yelled.”Ever since she found out the truth!”_

_“You want to blame this on me, the Arrow, Felicity?” he growled._

_“No, Oliver,” Felicity said resignedly “I’m blaming  Merlyn.”_

_“Remember when you were first training Roy? That anger, that rage?  Recognizing that feeling of watching the world around you in pieces and being helpless to do anything. That feeling starts to burn in you until you can’t fight it anymore. Until you have to lash out, fight back. Till it’s so strong you have to do something, anything, to make that helplessness go away. “_

_Felicity held Oliver’s face in her hands “I see it in her eyes now, Oliver, just like I used it in yours and in Roy’s. And it’s getting stronger.” She whispered.  “She’s not going out and fighting like Roy did, but she’s being reckless, taking chances” Felicity paused. “If we let her in, we can control it, we can train her, prepare her, keep her from going out until she’s ready.”_

_“This was never supposed to touch her, Felicity,” Oliver said brokenly. Felicity hugged him around his neck for all she was worth._

_“I know that you wanted that, I know that you wished that, but she was Malcolm Merlyn’s daughter long before Oliver Queen was the Arrow.” Felicity said softly._

_“I thought we weren’t going to use the third person when it came to me.” Oliver said stroking up and down Felicity’s back._

_“Eh, extenuating circumstances. I have biometric codes on all the weapon cases; they just haven’t been programmed yet. The door code can be modified so she’d never down here alone,“Felicity looked up at Oliver and said “We can protect her.”_

_“I said that about you once.” Oliver replied quietly, wrapping his arms around her as if that would prevent his worst fear from coming true._

_“Well, I’m still here, aren’t I?” Felicity said, her voice muffled by his chest. “I’d like to think I had a little bit to do with that…Oliver, Thea’s your sister through and through.  Through everything, the island, the return,  being the Hood, being the Arrow, becoming friends with Roy, she’s always know that you were different,  that you had changed – now she knows why." Felicity leaned back to look Oliver in the eye._

_“You had the island. Digg had Afghanistan, Roy had the Glades and Mirakuru. Thea had Malcolm Merlyn. She is burning in her crucible, but she doesn’t have to be there alone, Oliver. We can guide her, help her…or we can watch her drown.” Felicity stated simply.  Felicity would never tell him her crucible, her island - all those nights hearing him, beat, bruised, shot, being able to do nothing but listen to his pain. She survived, now it was her turn to help Thea._

_“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” Oliver muttered._

_Felicity smiled “I’m sorry did you make the mistake of thinking was a discussion? It was an update.”_

~

A brown haired woman entered the Queen Consolidated lobby and asked to be buzzed up to see Oliver Queen.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, Mr. Queen’s private executive floor is restricted personnel only. Trust me, you do not want to be someone who wandering up there. It’s not even a floor you can get an escort on. Our Executive Security Officer is a bit of a hardass when it comes to internal security.” The guard ran her driver’s license through the digital identification log, where it printed out a coded I .D. The security guard returned the driver’s license and threaded clip through the I.D. badge the machine had made.

“Isn’t this a little…overkill for a tech company?” She asked.

“It’s a little overwhelming at first but the DSO protocol has actually made Queen Consolidated one of the safest companies to work at in the state,” he said, looking down at her I.D badge. “Ms…Lance. Currently, no one on the executive floor has a meeting scheduled. I can call and see if one of them would be willing to come down to escort you to the public executive floor.”

“That would be wonderful, thank you so much.”

~

Upstairs, the phone rang and Felicity pitched a paper arrow at Oliver. “Oliver Queen, you have failed this communication device. Pick up the phone already, if it’s ringing up here, it’s not going to stop.” Felicity said as she went back to detailing the latest requirements for the silent version of Sara’s Canary cry as a crowd deterrent. At a high enough pitch, it would stop riots, but be impossible for protestors to shut down if they couldn’t locate where the subsonic pitch was coming from.

 Oliver ignored the phone and walked over to Felicity’s side of the office and knelt beside Felicity’s chair and began playing with her legs just underneath the skirt that she wore while she typed away at her tablet. “Hey, Ms. Smoak,” he said dragging his finger along the outside of her thigh.”I will make you a deal,” delicately scratching his nails between her skin and her skirt. “If you take care of whatever nuisance is going to make that phone ring again, I’ll spar with you for the next three sessions. Just think, no Sara yanking you into position, no Digg literally picking you up by your waist. And maybe, if you pin me, there might even be incentives.”

As Oliver kissed her neck, Felicity replied “You just don’t want to run into Digg’s training assignments. And I always get incentives when we spar. Do better if you’re going to attempt to bribe, rich boy.” ‘

Oliver gently nibbled at her collarbone careful not to leave marks. “Full body massage after each session.”

“For a week.”

“Deal.” Oliver said, pulling Felicity up out of her chair and opening her blouse to her bra, pulling her shirt down behind to the base of her neck where he began to suck a deep bruising hickey into her skin. He was still sucking when the phone rang again. After his negotiation, he bit the bruise he left at Felicity’s whispered “Neanderthal” and buttoned her blouse back up and pulled the collar over his mark as she answered the phone.

“There’s a Ms. Lance here to see Mr. Queen, Ms. Smoak. I told her she’d need an escort onto the public ex floor…”

“We’ll be right down, Pete, thanks.” Felicity answered as she checked the buttons of her shirt. “Apparently, we are not exempt from security drills, Sara’s waiting downstairs, I guess for us to go through the proper escort procedure.” Felicity gently kissed Oliver. “Maybe we can bribe her and her new girlfriend to skip out early for lunch.”

“Do your worst.” Oliver called as Felicity keyed the elevator for public use to head to the lobby. Since Diggle was running drills, Felicity took the proper precautions in the elevator and pulled up the I.D. logged into the DSO system.

When the face on the screen registered as Laurel Lance, Felicity wished she hadn’t been so easily bribed.

~

_“I never took you for a coward, Felicity.” Oliver said quietly._

_Felicity glared at him in rage. “How dare you…?_

_Oliver grabbed her hand, “How dare I what? Finally admit that it’s impossible to live without you? How dare I finally tell you the words I’ve been holding back for months, for years, waiting for the perfect time to tell you that I love you?”_

_He lifted her onto the med table in the Foundry. “This is where it started for us. And this is where I tell you there is no perfect time. There is no fairy tale for people like us.” He kissed her shocked lips. “For people like us, there’s stitches, and break ins and going to galas undercover. That perfect fairy tale isn’t us. Our happy story is a beautiful not-quite-so-blonde hacker and a reformed murderer-“ Felicity tried to stop Oliver from calling himself that but he held her hands and continued. “– a reformed murder and vigilante,” he spoke over her protests._

_“And I kept waiting for the right guy to take you away from all of this violence and bloodshed, I waited for you to turn off your computers and leave me in the dark, but I forgot something. You are Felicity Meghan Smoak, and you chose this life just as much as I did.” Oliver said holding her on his lap on the cold med table._

_“But Oliver, what about –“_

_“No buts, Felicity. No pictures of girls who don’t really exist, or disappear to parts unknown, no leggy model types, no bad ass fighters,” he said with a smile as she punched him. “None of those people you think fit me so much better, don’t.”  He laid her down on the table and rose over her. “You do.”_

_~_

 

Felicity calmly walked back to their office and pulled up the DSO screen. “Wrong Lance,” she said quietly.

Oliver looked at Felicity without hesitation and picked up the phone. “Hello, this is Oliver Queen, DSO designation, Verdigris Celadon Feldgrau, Glee, requesting that the guest in question in the lobby be escorted by two security guards instead of a general personal executive escort, secondary confirmation pending.”

  
Oliver held Felicity’s hands in one of his and put his arm holding her phone around her shoulder.   This is Felicity Smoak, DSO designation, Monarch, Afterglow, Analog. Ember, verifying previously stated request.”

Oliver hung up the phone and held Felicity in his arms. “I’m sorry, I had no idea she was even coming to town, much less here. I would have warned…everyone ahead of time.”

Felicity sighed and pulled away from Oliver. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Your ex-girlfriend disappears for four years and shows back up at your office that you run with your…”

“Felicity.” He finished. “I run this company with my best friend and my happiness. Let’s get through this and take the day, huh?” He said as he texted Digg about recent developments. **Digg: Will inform Sara. Don’t be stupid.**

Oliver took Felicity’s hand and walked her to the public executive floor just as Laurel entered flanks by security guards. “Thank you, Joe, Charlie, we appreciate your time.” Felicity said politely letting go of Oliver’s hand. He deserved to tell Laurel however he wished.

“Wow, Ollie, getting in here was like getting into Fort Knox. It’s definitely different.” Laurel said

“Well, after dealing with Isabel Rochev and her corrupt investors, my mother’s compliance in a terrorist action and the stalker who decided to go after my friends and family, we decided to take a few more precautions.” Oliver said pulling out a seat for Felicity and gesturing to one for Laurel.

“Not to mention people coming back from the –“

At Oliver’s sharp head shake, Laurel caught on to the fact that despite the heightened security he kept his night life and his day job separate.

“After the attacks and corporate delinquency, Queen Consolidated developed a new system, DSO.” Oliver said proudly. “It scans visitors, creates unhackable guest badges, compares daily agendas with the actual person in the meetings, It even flags loiterers and well known corporate spies. We’ve even considered marketing it to the military. It was designed completely in house.” He said glancing at Felicity.

“It sounds like a great product, if a little overkill for a tech company, but I’m really glad things are going well here.” Laurel said pleasantly.

“Well, considering that Queen Consolidated’s been broken into numerous times, employees have been held hostage and we’ve been hit by terrorists, DSO is actually a really smart investment. Diggle and Felicity designed it.” Oliver finished a little bit coldly.

Felicity finally spoke up at that, “You know that you had a lot to do with the incursion and infiltration portions of the technology, Oliver.”

“Please, Felicity, DSO was you and Diggle’s baby, hence the name, you both only added the O to make me feel special.” Oliver looked over at Laurel as if he’d forgotten she was there.”Digg said that Queen shouldn’t be on another product around her so they used my first name and their lasts.  Speaking of Digg that reminds me, Laurel, after four years, you might want to check in with your sister. She’s around her somewhere terrorizing the staff.” Oliver said, letting a bit of the Arrow into his voice.

“Don’t be like that, Ollie, I’m back in Starling City for awhile, probably for good. I just needed to see you first. The entire time I was gone, I was getting myself together and I held on to your words; to the possibilities they painted. I wanted to get to know that good man. I wanted you to know more than a memory.” Laurel spoke quietly with a small smile. “I know how I left things was hurtful to say the least, but could you at least do me the courtesy of hearing me out alone?” she finished directing her eyes towards Felicity.

“I can see you two have a lot to talk about, but Laurel, there were people here who cared about you. Disappearing for four years with not a word, a letter, a text…your father…” Felicity began. “You don’t know how lucky you are,” she whispered as she got up to leave the room.

She was stopped by Oliver’s hand on her wrist. She looked at Oliver and he stared back. Laurel go the impression they were having an in depth conversation about her when Felicity finally relented and sat back down.

“Ollie…”

“No, Laurel, I get leaving, I get needing to get away from all the trauma and the pain and the lies, more than you will probably ever know.” Oliver growled. “But you weren’t the one who had to hold your sister when she cried. You weren’t the one who made sure that your father had a decent dinner once a week. Those words were meant for a girl who cared about the people around her and I don’t really see her in his room.”

“Oliver, I don’t have problem if you’re angry with me, I deserve it. Forcing me to hash it out in front of your secretary on the other hand is a little beyond the pale.” Laurel cut back.

Oliver gave a bitter laugh. “Laurel, it’s been four years and you still don’t get it. And she was never my secretary, she was my E.A. and she’s not even that anymore. Laurel Lance, meet Felicity Smoak, Chief Technical Officer of Queen Consolidated and twenty percent owner of Queen Consolidated.” Oliver took Felicity’s hand in his rubbing away the tension he could feel in her body.

“And that’s not even the important part, _Felicity_ was the one who acted like a sister to Sara even when I was still sleeping with her, _Felicity_ who acted like a daughter to your father was sitting there staring into a bottle fighting his demons.” He put his arm around Felicity, knowing this situation would spark that abandoned feeling that rose up in her sometimes. “Felicity was my friend, the person I came home to talk to when I felt like I wasn’t making a difference in the world. She was my rock. And when I ran away when Tommy died, I made damn sure she knew I was leaving and I’ll be damned if she wasn’t the one who came to get me. And now she’s not just my friend, she’s not just my partner, she’s person who there for me in thick and thin, with her mind, her heart _and_ her body,” he said, making Felicity’s face flush.

“I’m glad you’re home, Laurel, I really am, but it’s not for me. It’s for your sister and your father and maybe even for the things we do at night. But walking away from us, abandoning us without a word, because we did our best to protect you? I don’t know if I can forgive that. I don’t know if I should.” He took Felicity’s hand and led her out of the room,”Maybe one day, I’ll be ready to hear where you were and why you thought you couldn’t come home. Sara and I didn’t have a choice. Maybe you didn’t either. Honestly, I doubt it,” he said walking away from her with Felicity’s hand tightly grasped in his own. “And you know what kills me?” he said, holding up his hand joined with Felicity’s own. “ _She’s_ going to be the one asking me, _telling me_ to forgive you.”

“So, Laurel, you might want to thank the _secretary_ now, because if I ever do let you back in to my life, our lives. It’ll be her doing.”


End file.
